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RATS

 

FIRST SENTENCE:
"His first day back from the Fourth of July vacation, Leroy Sabiesiak knew he'd get some good target practice with the rats in Area 17."

REVIEW

Rats: A good example of a horror novel for older students!
Paul Zindel's novel "Rats" is a gruesome, horrific, grisly story about killer rats. They are larger than normal sized rats, because of a chemical reaction at a landfill containing a buildup of methane gas underground. It is up to 15- year ol sarah Macafee and her 10- year old brother Michael to stop them. Zindel who is more widely known for his book "The Pigman", takes this novel to new heights and dimensions. The story is a nightmarish thriller that depicts gigantic rodents graphically devouring people. This book leaves nothing to the imagination! There is endless carnage page after page of gruesome details, numerous descriptions of bodily dismemberment, and jolts of horror. Zindel's style is fast paced and takes the reader on a roller coaster ride of horror. There is never a dull moment in this book. The plot is full of spine tingling, stomach-churning action. This book is a great motivator to get older students to read, adolescent readers will not be able to put this book down. This book is appropriate for children who are 11-14 years of age. This book IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR YOUNG CHILDREN AT ALL!! Teachers or parents may dislike this book, but students/teenagers (especially boys) will love it.

From School Library Journal
Gr 6-9-Staten Island and the rest of New York City are threatened by an invasion of vicious killer rats in this gory, makes-your-skin-crawl thriller. The epicenter of the disaster turns out to be a huge landfill brimming over with decades worth of rotting garbage, right next to the quiet neighborhood where Sarah Macafee, 15, and her brother Michael, 10, live with their widowed father. Mr. Macafee just happens to be the city sanitation officer in charge of the landfill, which is in the process of being paved over with a layer of asphalt. The horror begins one summer morning with rats emerging from residents' toilets, hot tubs, and in-ground swimming pools. Sarah and Michael discover a neighbor dead in her car, and alert their father that rodents from the landfill are mounting an attack on their neighborhood. Readers looking for gruesome details are treated to numerous descriptions of bodily dismemberment by these traditionally maligned mammals, and the jolts of horror recur at regular intervals while Sarah and her brother survive several cliff-hanger escapes. Just in the nick of time, Sarah figures out a way to halt the vermin in their tracks and put an end to the bloodbath that engulfs a crowded Manhattan entertainment center. Zindel's style is fast paced and the plot is chock-full of shivery, stomach-churning action. Young readers will certainly rest easier once Sarah uses her wits to end a nightmare of carnage.

KIDS REVIEWS

Evil Rats Attack!
This book is about killer rats trying to take over New York City. Sara and here younger brother, Michael are trying to save the city but if the rats get them, New York will parish. Watch out for all the killer rats that might come after you!
I thought this book was really scary, and that parts were sad but also made my skin crawl. Rats is an adventure but at the same time a mystery. Rats really makes you feel that you are going to be attacked.
I would recomend this book to any one that loves a good blood and guts thriller. Its a book that will pull you in, and keep you in so you won't wan't to stop reading.

Rats: A Very Good Book
This book was very interesting, yet gory at the same time. It kept me up at night - it was scary! It's probably not a book for younger kids because of all the gore and death. Overall it is a very descriptive book that keeps you on the edge of your seat.